


It's all the little things about you

by W33hawken



Series: Danganronpa stories [4]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa 3: The End of 希望ヶ峰学園 | The End of Kibougamine Gakuen | End of Hope's Peak High School, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), F/M, Fluff, Romance, Stalking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-12
Updated: 2019-02-14
Packaged: 2019-10-26 18:08:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17750903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/W33hawken/pseuds/W33hawken
Summary: Mahiru Koizumi doesn't feel like she belongs, not really. Her talent is one that's abundant, and could be found anywhere. Hajime indirectly shows her how much she shines, and he becomes her world.





	1. It's all the little things

*CLICK*  
  
Good. He looked so good.  
  
*CLICK*  
  
It didn't matter what angle I got him in. He always looked good. No, good is too plain. Too bland. "Good" is not good enough.  
  
*CLICK*  
  
His smile. Those soft eyes of his. How understanding he is. That little thing he does with his hands when he's thinking. How well he dressed. His hair. How reliable he was. His cute laugh.  
  
*CLICK*  
  
Good was a terrible world to describe him. No, if I had to use a word, it'd be...  
  
*CLICK*  
  
Perfect. Just like this picture I managed to take of him. He doesn't know I do this. He must never know.  
  
*CLICK*  
  
It looks like I'm taking pictures of the fountain behind him. Or the trees. Or the clouds. Or even other students.  
  
*CLICK*  
  
Never. None of them come close to the sheer perfection that was his being. I have never met anyone who was so beautiful. Any and all synonyms to the word beautiful applied to him. Handsome was fine, but beauty was something unisex. Anyone could be beautiful. HE, was beautiful.  
  
*CLICK*  
  
He looked in my direction. I can't help but feel myself heat up every time he does that. He always gives me this sort of half smile, the one with the left part of his mouth curved up ever so slightly, and his right part partway up. I look away. Not because I want to, because I can't help but feel as though I wasn't worthy to meet his gaze.  
  
*CLICK*  
  
I take a picture of something else. I don't feel anything from it. Not like when I take a picture of him.  
  
*CLICK*  
  
I used to think my talent was pointless. Ultimate Photographer. A complete and utter joke. Everyone else had something going on with them, something flashy, something that they could display with pride. My talent was replaceable. There was only one Ultimate Gamer, or one Ultimate Lucky Student, or one Ultimate Traditional Dancer. They were all distinct, and unique, and amazing. But there were millions of photographers who could do my job, and almost no one would tell the difference between a picture I took and a picture they took. He changed that.  
  
*CLICK*  
  
"I can tell you took this picture." He said to me one day as I flipped through a magazine with him. There was a collage of other photographs, each taken by someone else. But there was only one taken by me. No credits were given. Despite that, he still singled out my work. He pointed at the edge of the photo.  
  
"You see the way the light reflects off the statue just right, and gives it a warmer tone to it? You love warm colors. And the way it's angled slightly to the right because you tilt your body sometimes, and in doing so you tilt your arms too."  
  
In a sea of what was essentially the same type of picture, he singled me out. He made me feel special right then. Like I was actually unique like everyone else. Like I belonged with them. That's when I began to notice.  
  
*CLICK*  
  
I noticed his manner of speaking. How he reached out to everyone. How he was always there for you.  
  
How he made me feel.  
  
*CLICK*  
  
He didn't notice me again for a while after that. That's good. I can't have him. It's not right for someone like me to take him from the world. From someone who deserves him. The most I can do is...  
  
*CLICK*  
  
Preserve him. Candid photos were always my specialty. I want him to be closer to me. I want him to be comfortable around me. I want him to rely on me.  
  
I want him.  
  
*CLICK*  
  
He's humming right now. A melodic sound filled me up with such warmth that I almost broke the norm. I had taken two steps towards him. That's two too many. I take two steps back. There you go. As it should be.  
  
"Hey! Mahiru! Come over here!"  
  
My heart flutters when he says my name. He doesn't have to say it with such feeling, such kindness, but he does. That's just the way he was. He was so nice. I make my way towards him, and sat down. He smiled at me. Not the half smile. A full one. He really didn't have to. Just acknowledgement from him was enough.  
  
"How was your day? I had a lot of people come to me as usual, but it was a productive afternoon. Made progress with some of them. One had kind of a breakdown, and I had to call in security. But I'm not giving up on them."  
  
His talent was the cherry on top. Ultimate Counselor. He was a doctor, the pinnacle of reliability. My mother always told me to go for someone like that, but you never meet anyone like that your own age. But there he was. Defying all expectations.  
  
"Oh, yeah? That sounds rough."  
  
He scratched the back of his neck. He had a light flush, which further fuelled my very being with joy. My heart kept pounding, pounding, pounding, even though that's not what I wanted it to do.  
  
"It can be, but it's worth it. Nothing makes me happier than to help people out."  
  
There it was. That shining altruism. Why was he so perfect?  
  
He eyed my camera I was fidgeting with, and asked the question that made that entire week for me.  
  
"Hey, do you want to take a picture? I haven't had mine taken by a professional in a really long time."  
  
Little did he know, he's all I had saved in my storage device.  
  
"Okay, sure. Let me get a good angle."  
  
I began to stand up, but his arm gently grabbed my own.  
  
He avoided my gaze as he spoke.  
  
"U-um, if it's alright with you, I was hoping we could take the picture together."  
  
Time stood still as I attempted to register what he just said.  
  
"C-could you repeat that?"  
  
He looked embarrassed as he explained himself.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry if I was being too foward. I just thought it would be... nice? I don't know how else to explain it. Wow, I sound terrible, don't I?"  
  
Never. You never sound terrible.  
  
"No, it's fine."  
  
It was more than fine.  
  
"I'd be happy too!"  
  
Nothing would bring me greater elation.  
  
I sat down next to him and turned the camera on, but his close proximity in conjunction with the fact that my heart was threatening to leap out of my chest gave me a shaky grip. He held it steady with his other hand. I instinctively put up a piece sign, and he did the same.  
  
*CLICK*  
  
He looked at the finished product.  
  
"Wow, you look great!"  
  
"You look like an angel."  
  
I quickly cover my mouth. That was NOT supposed to come out. It's over now, he's going to think I'm weird, he's not going to like me anymore, he's no-  
  
He chuckled.  
  
"Thank you. That's really nice of you to say."  
  
There he goes again. He doesn't think I'm weird, or hate me, or anything. He accepts me without a second thought, like if it was the most natural thing in the world.  
  
The bell rings, catching his attention.  
  
"Oh, that's my bell. I gotta go, but maybe we can talk later? I'll come find you."  
  
He leaves. My eyes don't look anywhere else but him. As far as I'm concerned, there is no world beyond him.  
  
*CLICK*  
  
Perfect.


	2. That make you irresistible

I peak from behind the wall. It wasn't too cold, like how a majority of Feburary days were. A warm breeze blew throughout the area. There he was. Everyday, he'd sit by the fountain. Waiting. In my head, I like to think he's waiting for me. In my head, I'd walk up to him, arms outstretched, and we'd embrace. I'd get to inhale his scent, feel his warmth, trace my fingers on his back. In my head, he'd say those words everytime.  
  
_"Hello, love. Did you have a good day today?"_  
  
Because he never, ever talked about himself first. He always made sure to let you know that he truly cared. In my head, he loved me.  
  
But there was a reason why it was all in my head. A fantasy. Nothing more than that. So why was I trying to shatter an illusion that wasn't an illusion? An illusion that was reality?  
  
In my left hand, I held a box. A small box, nothing too special. But it had a gold ribbon on it. Me and the box, we were the same in that regard.  
  
We were both gilded. Something ordinary, unimportant, wrapped up to look nice. To look like the other genuinely amazing ones. The other one's. They were metal, wooden, something out of place. Inside, they were each different. Macaroons, dark, truffle, white, couverture, swiss, and so many more flavors that I lose count.  
  
Me? Just plain old milk chocolate, wrapped up in a Hope's Peak uniform.  
  
Against my will, my legs moved forward. Slowly, but surely, I was getting closer. He hadn't noticed me yet. I could turn back now, save myself the embarrassment, have it go back to the way it used to be. But they wouldn't listen.  
  
Then, she came.  
  
She had her own box. It had a little spaceship on the front. She held it out to him.  
  
"Hajime. I... I wanted you to have this. You mean so much to me, and I'm glad we could be friends. I'm happy I met you."  
  
He gives her a smile that I caught myself wishing was for me.  
  
"Chiaki... I don't know what to say. Thank you. I'm glad I met you too."  
  
I didn't move. I couldn't. I wanted to say it wasn't fair. To stop her. To tell her to go away.  
  
But that wasn't right. After all, I didn't deserve him. I knew this. But the part of me that refuses to let him go stood steadfast in this crushing despair.They shared an embrace. She left soon after. I began to walk again. Another girl came.  
  
She was trembling as she handed it to him. It was wrapped in a bandage, and tied with a heart.  
  
"U-um, Hajime. Thank you for always forgiving me. I'm sorry I'm such a burden on you."  
  
He darted forward and embraced her.  
  
"Don't say that! Mikan, I don't think of you as a burden. You're so kind to others, and you always do your best job at even the little things. I'm honored that you consider me as someone close to you."  
  
She teared up. My chest was tighter still.  
  
"Th-thank you! I don't deserve someone like you!"  
  
They stay there for a while.  
  
I, stay there for a while.  
  
She leaves after an awkward goodbye.  
  
Once again, my legs move. They continue to do so, despite them knowing the truth, until he noticed my approach. The chocolate behind my back should have melted when I heated up.  
  
"Hey! How was your day?"  
  
No love. But that was reality. A reality that my heart continued to defy.  
  
I didn't reply. I stuck my hands out, and looked away. I didn't want to see his face. I knew I would spill out my heart then.  
  
"For me?"  
  
Always, for you.  
  
"Y-yeah. I wanted to get you something. To show how much I... appreciated you."  
  
He took the plain box. He opened it up. Plain chocolates. He took one. A happy, satisfied noise came from his closed mouth. He swallowed.  
  
"You know, I always loved milk chocolate the best."  
  
Just like that. He didn't mean to say it like that, nor was it directed at me. But my heart pounded all the same. It kept pounding, and pounding, and pounding.  
  
Until I finally let it free.  
  
"Hajime."  
  
He looked into my eyes, and I stared into his. The same one's I dream about every night. I fiddled with my sash that held my camera until I found the words I was looking for.  
  
"I... like you. No, I don't like you. I love you. You make me feel... real. Like I belong. Like I matter. I know, I can be annoying, or rude, or unreliable. But you aren't any of those things. You help everyone out before yourself. You always listen, even if the problems people like me have are mundane or ludicrous. You take the time to talk to someone like me. And, if this changes anything, then you can forget I ever said a word. I don't want to lose what we have, but I can't keep this inside anymore."  
  
I finished. I said it. A weight was lifted off my chest.  
  
But there was an empty hole where the weight was. Now, I can no longer pretend that he'd ever hold me. That he'd whisper sweet nothings into my ear. That I'd have his warmth to myself. That he'd be mine.  
  
I broke an illusion, that wasn't an illusion.  
  
Then, I felt it.  
  
The warmth I'd dream about. The scent I had only smelled once before. The back I imagined tracing my fingers on. The way I would shudder as he whispered into my ear.  
  
"Mahiru. There's no way I'd ever leave someone as amazing as you, over feelings that are mutual."  
  
Mutual. For some reason, I couldn't process that word. It sounded like my other fantasies. Intangible.  
  
Then I remembered.  
  
Mutual, meant shared.  
  
"Huh?" Was all I could manage.  
  
"You're optimistic, sensible, composed, and you aren't afraid to say what you need to. You're talent of taking the most beautiful photos, to capture moment in time perfectly the way you do, isn't something anyone else can pull off. All of the pictures you take, are taken with a purpose. They are extensions of yourself, each one leaving behind a trail of prints I find myself enraptured with. And they invoke emotion within me. Emotions that I thought had long since vanished. The beauty of it, almost compares to your own. I... love you too. Everything about you."  
  
I didn't know what to say. So I didn't say anything. I buried my face into the chest I thought was out of reach. I wasn't supposed to have him. I wasn't worthy.  
  
But there he was again. Breaking down my expectations. He was reliable like that. It's just how he was.  
  
And I wouldn't want him to be any other way.


End file.
